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Kemp belts two homers in third game back from DL

4/6/14: Matt Kemp launches two homers to help the Dodgers defeat the Giants

By Chad Thornburg
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MLB.com |

Matt Kemp may have gotten a late start to the 2014 season, but he certainly made his presence known Sunday, belting two homers in the Dodgers' 6-2 win over the Giants.

Kemp, who began the year on the disabled list after offseason ankle surgery, knocked the first hit of the game in the second inning, a solo blast to left-center field against San Francisco righty Matt Cain. He followed with a two-run homer in the fourth, extending the Dodgers' lead to 4-0.

"Is the Beast back? We've got a long road ahead of us," said Kemp following his first multi-homer game since 2012. "I hope the Beast is back. I feel good. I'm just getting my legs under me, taking it game by game.

"It always feels good to hit home runs here, because of when you hear the crowd. It has been a while, so it did feel good."

Manager Don Mattingly was happy to see his slugger break out.

"We saw it early in batting practice in the spring. His BP was different," said Mattingly. "He had that high finish [again], and we saw the carry on the ball. It's good to be able to see him do that here, and in the big leagues."

Kemp made his season debut Friday, starting for Yasiel Puig, who was benched for arriving late to batting practice that day. Kemp batted 1-for-4 with a double, a run scored, a walk and a strikeout in his first game back.

The 29-year-old outfielder has played in just 179 total games over the last two seasons, battling various injuries since finishing as the runner-up to Ryan Braun in the 2011 National League Most Valuable Player Award voting.

Chad Thornburg is a reporter for MLB.com. This story was not subject to the approval of Major League Baseball or its clubs.